Artist Spotlight: A Conversation with Jahmel Reynolds

To Perceive by Jah

A filmmaker and visual artist from Brooklyn, New York, Jahmel Reynolds, better known as Jah, is an emerging leading voice to watch in the NFT community. Jah currently has three artworks being exhibited as part of the ongoing group exhibition Electric Psychedelia at Vellum LA, curated by Ellie Pritts. Artworks are available for bidding through SuperRare here.

Music plays a significant role in each of your artworks. In what ways does the score of each piece contribute to your storytelling?  

I use music as a narrator, each song speaks to the theme of the piece and the feelings of each character. 

How would you say your background in filmmaking influenced your work?

My background in film has influenced many aspects of my work; the primary influence has been world-building and creating cohesion between my pieces. It’s also helped me on the technical side with composition and maintaining a steady workflow. 

Are the human/humanoid characters we see in each of your pieces related to each other? Are the universes you build in each work connected or are they separate from each other? Throughout your storytelling journey in your work, do you create characters that exist in the same world as each other or does each subject exist in their own unique world?

It’s a part of my process. The characters and worlds eventually become part of a cohesive universe. Still, I usually start with these conceptual pieces and then flesh them out later, so you’ll see them again soon. 

The music selection in your works ties the pieces together perfectly, can you walk us through how you assign your artwork its musical composition?

The process is different every time. I'm a huge fan of the artists I collaborate with, so sometimes I create with them in mind, but I created these pieces without music, and when I would go for walks, I’d listen to a playlist that I made, and those songs just came to me, it’s like they chose themselves. 

In your pieces, you explore themes of intrapersonal conflict, digital identity, and future worlds. As your art progresses, how do you feel your own digital identity evolves? 

I think because a lot of my art is tied to my experiences, and I share those experiences through a digital medium, my digital identity and “analog” identity are intertwined. My art was solely a form of therapy for me, and I didn’t share that side of myself that much, but now that I am, and I’ve become more expressive about my perspective, I use these digital tools to build actual worlds and characters that represent that. 

The expressions of the characters you create in each piece are so passionate and intense. Where do you take inspiration from when creating the appearance of your characters?

I pull from my consciousness when I create. A lot of my pieces aren’t deliberate. I sit at the computer and start playing, and whatever feels right is what stays. Once the piece is finished, I decipher what my conscious is telling me, and usually, it’s things that I need to heal from my past, things to be grateful for, or things to look forward to, and the character's expressions reflect that.

Your art often explores different perspectives and angles, what role does the POV of each subject play in your artwork?

“The Herald”  is a conversation between myself and the inner child. When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I wasn’t thinking about what my environment was like or the sacrifices my mom made to ensure that I didn’t fall into a dangerous lifestyle. I was just a kid watching cartoons and playing with toys, but as I grew older and began to have experiences for myself, I saw my mom's perspective and what she was protecting me from. Still, I also recognized that my inner child protected me, and those cartoons and toys became the foundation of what I do for a living.

“Press Start” is my perspective on the amazing women in my life and everything they’ve done for themselves and me. My Mother, Grandmothers, Sisters, and My Partner, time and time again, have shown grace, empathy, and resilience, despite all the odds, and it’s just amazing and inspiring to be a witness to that.

“To Perceive” is about perspective and how we project our fears and hopes into our everyday lives and in a way that can control us. There's no definitive statement with this piece, and I find the power of perspective interesting. 

Photographs #1 and #3 by @djkero